In a book called "It's Not Us Against Them," Raymond McNulty wrote extensively about what is needed among educators today to make schools more effective.
And he often considered the students' perspective. When he was a teacher, he said he asked himself, "Why would a student want to come to my class?"
In his book he told of how he asked students in different schools what they thought. Their ideas were insightful.
Sometimes, as we have discussions about making changes in school, we forget to ask the students themselves.
Late this spring and early this summer, I asked some students simply, "What should be done to make high schools better?" Here are some of their responses, followed by my commentary in parenthesis:
• "Make it something to use in the future. A student could be motivated if there was something in it for them." (This makes perfect sense, and there is no reason why this shouldn't happen in every American classroom. But unfortunately, in some classrooms, it doesn't).
• "Students tend to lose interest as a class goes on. When a student fails early on then they kind of feel like it's not worth it. Those students don't even ask for help." (This is an admission that some students fall behind and for whatever reason, never get the assistance or support they need. It's hard to make sure every student learns, but that's what teachers are called upon to do).
• "I like hands-on stuff. We need to do the book work but I like the research too." (Relying solely on a textbook can no longer be the standard operating procedure in any class).
• "I would like to work at my own pace so I could work ahead." (Do some students have to wait on the rest of the class? They shouldn't have to; instead there is a whole world out there for them to learn about, and with the Internet at their fingertips, there's no reason why a teacher can't guide any student to move onward and upward).
• "The library isn't open on some mornings. It would be nice to have some other place to go before school." (We never want to have a barrier between a student and a good book. Neither do we want to have times in which a student wants to read or study and not have a place to go. And in a way, this issue is related to what the next student said).
• "It needs to be less crowded." (No one - not a student, not an adult - wants to be crowded, regardless of where he or she goes. If you are shoulder-to-shoulder with others, it isn't pleasant. Overcrowding will need to be addressed in Jefferson City High School and throughout the Jefferson City School District. Students and teachers should be able to move freely from one place to another on campus).
So if we could sum up what the students in our own school district are saying, it would be simply, make school interesting, relevant, and meaningful. Give students some choices about what they will learn and what interests they can pursue. And make it an overall pleasant environment in which to learn.
Not bad, coming from a group of today's teenagers. We should have asked them a long time ago.
David Wilson, EdD, is the associate principal at Jefferson City High School. You may email him at [email protected].